Martin Luther & The Recovery of the Ordinary Means of Grace
Reformation Day is once again upon us. And I’m not always sure what I think. But if it’s an excuse to eat sausages and talk historical theology then you can count me in!
One of the most helpful areas Martin Luther reformed was the sacraments. The Roman Catholic Church has 7, Protestants have 2. In large part, this was due, not just to Luther, but to a rediscovery of what the New Testament teaches (hint: Jesus gives us 2). His second avenue of reform was the preaching of the Word of God, in a language the people could understand. We could summarise Luther’s reform then, as a recovery of the ordinary means of grace.
As an aside, there is a bit of debate between Lutherans and Reformed on the nature of the sacraments, but both believe that they are (along with preaching) necessary for the Christian life.
Much of what I’m drawing on here, by the way, is from Carl Trueman’s Luther on the Christian Life published by Crossway. It is, by all accounts, a stellar book and one you would do well to read and reflect upon. Trueman is an eminent historian who reflects honestly on Luther’s life while drawing out his words for today.
Anyway, back to my point. When Luther comes to the sacraments he sees in them the objective reality of them. They are promises of God. They convey real grace. They are vitally necessary for the Christian life. From a pastoral counselling perspective, for Luther, his first line of defence would be — are you under the word preached and taking (by faith) the Lord’s Supper? (Luther, 146). Not that there isn’t a need for biblical-based counselling and modern psychiatric care but Luther is correct that our starting point should be: am I faithfully partaking of the ordinary means of grace?
This leads to questions we should all be asking of ourselves, how do I grow as a Christian? What should I regularly be engaged in? What is needed in my life to make me more like Jesus Christ? Trueman says of Luther:
Indeed, there is nothing better, nothing more suitable for strengthening faith, than the sacraments. While many look for spectacular signs that indicate God’s favour toward them, Luther points out that the sacraments, connected to the Word, are precisely such signs. Not only are the spectacular and extraordinary weak in comparison; they are rendered entirely unnecessary. (Luther, 156)
The sacraments remind us of our union with Jesus Christ. Baptism signifies that we are a member of Christ’s church. The Lord’s Supper offers forth the promise of Christ, again and again, to us.
What the church needs, what it has always needed, is faithful ministers to preach the Word and administer the sacraments. Because everything else, models, plans, what have you, are man-made (and often man-centric), but the Word and Sacrament derive their “power and effectiveness from God himself.” (Luther, 158).
This means, “the church service is fundamental to Christian discipleship” (Luther, 158). Luther is basically stating the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). In the Great Commission Jesus tells us that evangelism is church planting. Think about what Jesus says: it’s not enough to tell them the gospel. You must also baptise them. And presumably we could add, they must regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23).
We could add, what the world needs is church planting, church revitalisation, and a recovery of the means of grace. God has given us such tremendous gifts in the preaching of the Word, the Lord’s Supper, and Baptism. While Luther, Lutherans, and Reformed would disagree on their nature, no one would disagree about their importance for the Christian life.
To celebrate the life of Martin Luther and what he started in 1517, look past the man, look to his Saviour. Feed upon Christ, in his Word, in the bread and the wine. Rebuff the devil with your baptism (I belong to Christ and to his church!) and be strengthened in your walk with the objective reality that Christ is for you and the Supper supremely testifies to that.
